Ice
by Child of Galifrey
Summary: This is the prequel to Reunited. Jack's got used to his addition, but when the frozen girl wakes, he's not ready for his teammate's reaction, nor the creatures that could tear her from him forever...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Outside the government,

Beyond the police.

The 21st Century is when everything changes...

And Torchwood is ready.

But not for this.


	2. Antifreeze

**Antifreeze**

"Morning Jack!" called Gwen as the vault like door slid closed.

"Morning." Came a tired voice from his office.

As she got to her desk, Jack heard the rustling of shopping bags. Shaking off his fatigue, he jogged off to greet her. "You got me a present?"

"No, cheeky! They're for -Oh morning Ianto." She grinned as the he placed a steaming cup of coffee on beside her. "You are a star."

"Freshly made. So it's hot. Would you like one, sir?"

"Love one"

Just then, a peal of bells sounded but was quickly drowned out by Owen and Tosh bickering over something.

"Morning!" they called.

As everyone settled down to work, Jack climbed the stairs to the metal gantry above, coffee in hand. He paused momentarily, to watch his team with satisfaction, that was when he spotted the blonde head.

Every morning when he saw Rawnie, Jack couldn't help smiling. He thought she belonged with the team – with him. And every morning, just after this blissful moment he realised that she was the Doctor's sister. _Can't have everything._

"Jack you do know what day it is, right?" called up Owen, getting set up in the med-bay.

"Yup. Every six months. " he began to climb down.

Suddenly everyone was up and moving towards the med-bay. Gwen was closest, and took her place on the opposite side of Owen.

"What's happening?" asked Rawnie, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She'd been with the team for 5 months now and Jack still hadn't told her about the girl.

But he did remember an incident he could liken it to. " ' Member how I told you about Tommy Brockles" Tosh winced

"Yes..."

"Well," as she stood over the balcony, looking down at the little body. "Meet Molly Walker. 8 years old. Or 88. Whatever. Frozen around 80 years ago by the Torchwood team of the time. No idea why."

The girl's brown hair was medium length and curly. She wore white pyjamas with pink pots in them. And she was deathly pale.

"Why are you waking her up then?"

"We need to make sure she still works, cos, whatever she's here for, we'll need her someday. Only we have to wake her up every six months, cos she's only 8." Interrupted Owen.

Then he stuck the needle into her chest.

"What is that?"

"Antifreeze." Seeing her horror Owen added "Alien Antifreeze, well that's it's nickname"

It only took a couple of minutes for the screaming to start.

Gwen tried to smother Molly's screams with her hand but then leapt away cursing. Her hand was bleeding. Rawnie sighed "MOLLY WALKER!" she bellowed.

The little girl fell silent.

"It the same every bloody time"muttered Gwen.

"Bloody is right." Observed Jack as Owen bandaged her hand.

Molly's face relaxed "Sorry Gwen." She said in a tiny voice.

"S'all right Sweetheart. Just, next time, try to remember not sink your teeth in."

" I'll try" Molly opened her eyes and looked directly up at Rawnie. "Hello. Who are you?"

"Rawnie. Hang on, I'll be down in a sec" and Rawnie swung herself over the metal railing with ease to land softly beside Gwen.

Everyone gaped.

"Neat trick. Will you teach me?"

"Maybe later. What's your name?" she asked, though she knew already.

"Molly Walker."

"That's a pretty name."

"Not as pretty as Rawnie – or Toshiko." She sighed. Tosh smiled.

"Do you know where you are?" she asked.

"Torchwood. Under Cardiff, capital of Wales, part of Great Britain."

"Good."

"You must be cold. And hungry." Said Jack

"Yep. Race you to the boardroom." And she leapt off the trolley and up the stairs.

Owen groaned. "I am never having kids"


	3. A day in the life

**A day in the life **

**Please, please , please review. Please. With a cherry on top.**

The team watched with a smile as Gwen pleaded with Molly to go back to the med-bay for blood tests.

"Boring, boring, boring!" chanted Molly. "Every day, the same thing. Don't you get bored of it? I do! Boring!"

_Arrgh! I give up! What's the point?_

"Let me," came a soft voice from behind her. Gwen turned round to find Rawnie, with her hand hovering over Gwen's forearm.

"I'm only seven years older than her, we should be able to connect on some level"

"She's 88 years old!"

"Exactly."

Gwen shrugged. She'd always been good with kids, before.

"Molly. Listen to me! How can you and Gwen go and see...erm...a Movie, unless you have your blood tests?"

"A movie?!" she shrieked

"Yup. Go on" Rawnie breathed in relief, thanking God the kid knew what a movie was

Molly bounced over to Owen and grabbed his hand, she pulled him towards the med-bay. He rolled his eyes again.

Rolling her own eyes, Rawnie finished her coffee , grabbed her jacket and knocked lightly on Jack's door. "I'm headed out. I'll let you know if-you know who turns up." She turned to leave.

"No."

Incredulous she turned around "_I'm sorry? _This is my week. When we started working together we agreed 1 week per month to look for the Doctor!"

"Not today." His voice was steely " Don't you think I wanna look too?! But I stay here. You work for me you follow my rules. You connect with Molly better than any of us. Plus, after last night- you owe me one"

Rawnie's eyes flashed, dangerously, Jack gulped. "I work **for** you now?! I don't belong to you Jack. " Jack caught her wrist, and saw from her expression that he'd crossed a line.

"FINE! Come on Molly. Movie. Now!" She pulled her wrist free and glowered at Jack.

"But her blood tests?" tried Owen, Rawnie turned her glare on him, he shrunk back, "We'll do it when you get back"

* * *

Rawnie grabbed Molly's hand, as they walked along the plaza, trying to mask her anger

_How DARE he! I don't belong to him, he doesn't own me. I'm a Timelady for Pete's sake. I have more authority. I hope the Doctor snaps his neck, the pushy, obnoxious, idiotic, self righteous..._

"Ow –Rawnie your hurting me."

"Oh sorry " she loosened her grip.

"So, how come you work at Torchwood now?"

"I'm a friend of Jack's. I'm just waiting around here doing what I can til he comes for me."

"The Doctor."

"Yes – how did you?"

"You were screaming at Jack."

Rawnie tried to remember, her voice hadn't been that high had it?

"So hang on-" began Rawnie, trying to divert her attention. "What normally happens, in a typical day for you"

"Let me show you." She pulled Rawnie by the hand

* * *

Jack breathed in and out slowly. Rawnie's words rang in his ears. "_I don't belong to you Jack"_

She'd been with him so long it was hard to imagine life without her, in his mind, Rawnie _did_ belong with him.

Her smile lit up his morning, he only just got away with kissing her head every day. Her touch on his back, calmed him, loosened the tension in his shoulders, her quickness helped on a mission. Her Doctorness was what he loved the most, everything that made her who she was. It made him miss the Doc less. So many reasons why he loved her – why he felt she belonged with him.

Oh and how she kept giving him CPR every time he died just so that the team – apart from Gwen, didn't discover his secret. He loved that.

* * *

For the first time in ages, Rawnie felt tired. They'd had ice creams by the bay – went shopping, saw a movie, went to the park, had a posh Italian lunch. Molly was still bouncing around clutching her new rabbit teddy from a bear making shop. Rawnie had her own honey coloured bear in the crook of her arm, Molly had insisted she get one too. She'd bought Jack a small mascot black bear in a RAF captains uniform as a joke.

"Let's go, let's go. It's 7pm. You need a good night's sleep. "Rawnie didn't even sleep, usually she was up all hours. "And a good dinner. Erm pizza sound good. "

* * *

Rawnie sat cross legged on her bed, across from Jack, each devouring a pizza. "I thought Molly would never sleep"

"Me either. I forgot how exuberant she is."

"Who is she? I mean how come she's here?"

"Molly is a Torchwood operatives daughter. Well, Torchwood _operatives. _When we discovered aliens were after her and her mother we froze them. "

"Where is her mother?"

"Dead. They got to her last year."

"Her father? Who was he? He's dead too. Why didn't you freeze him?"

"He was second in command at the time. Couldn't be frozen."

"Who was he then?"

"I don't know. It was all before my time."

Rawnie shrugged. She could see the lie in his eyes.


	4. Midnight

**Midnight**

**This is one of my favourite chapters so far. It explains a bit about the Doctor and Rawnie's past on Galifrey. It also explains about Rawnie and Jack a little. But not fully, that's later. Enjoy!**

Gwen sighed. She was dragging her feet tonight. At 11pm, she was the last one to leave. Well, apart from Rawnie, Jack and Molly, but then again, they lived here. There was no point in hurrying tonight, Rhys was out with Banana Boat. Again. So, she was alone in the flat, _unless..._

"Hey Rawnie?"

"Yessum?" Rawnie wandered in, and Gwen was shocked to see her already dressed in pyjamas. Red and white.

"I was wondering...you wanna stay over at mine tonight. Rhys is out until tomorrow an' I didn't fancy being on my own..."

"I can't"

"Why not?"

Rawnie rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling, waiting.

"You're not going ANYWHERE" called Jack.

"Told you so. Honestly, it's like he's my warden or something. Hang on, you could stay here."

Gwen wondered why Rawnie wasn't allowed to leave. She did so every month for a week. She looked bushed right now, but Gwen knew that that was because of her travelling with her teleporter.

_Am I really that desperate? Yes. Yes, I am._ With a quick smile and a cheery "I'll be right back" Gwen drove home to get her things.

"Erm," asked Jack waggling his finger between the two of them. "Did I miss something?"

"Gwen's staying the night. She's having the room opposite mine. It's safer there."

"What from?" she asked worriedly.

As Rawnie sauntered off down the corridor she called back to Gwen "Can't you guess?"

Jack followed her out, smiling.

Gwen's eyes widened.

* * *

Punching the pillow to make it more comfortable, Gwen tried to get settled. A soft white light, spread across her face as Rawnie cracked the door open. "Night, Gwen"

"Night Rawnie."

Just before she closed the door, she paused, uncomfortable. "Have you got any earplugs?"

"No. Why?" she asked confused.

Rawnie smiled sadly, "No reason."

* * *

Gwen woke with a start, _something's wrong, really wrong, but what?_

That's when her senses honed in on it. The screaming, the never-ending piercing scream, followed by the sound of pounding feet passing by her door, and the slamming of a door.

Pulling herself out of her bed, Gwen flung herself out into the corridor.

_Is it Molly?_ But the screaming was coming from the room opposite. _**Rawnie?!**_

She opened the door into the dark room to see...

* * *

Jack pulling Rawnie onto his lap.

Now over the past few months, Gwen had noticed Rawnie's relationship with Jack. Jack kissed Rawnie's head in the morning, but quickly, so she couldn't protest. When, they were running, chasing some alien, Jack would subconsciously reach out for Rawnie's hand, she'd take his, but pull ahead, then let go. The same happened when Jack had a go at them, for messing up on a mission and his shoulders got all tense, then they'd just see Rawnie's hand creep up onto his shoulder, dissolving the tension there. His hand would go up, to rest on hers, until she, like countless other moments, pulled away.

They barely touched and hugged only briefly. Gwen could see that Jack needed Rawnie. She didn't need him though. So to see this independent young woman letting herself being pulled onto his lap, tears dropping off her chin onto his tracksuit bottoms, her long nails digging into his bare chest, was beyond surprising.

Jack's expression was one of concern, worry, tiredness and Gwen noticed, slight smugness.

Rawnie's screams were dying down into one comprehensible word "Doctor"

"Sssh, I know, I know baby doll. I'm here, it's okay, I'm here."

He rocked until she quietened. Pushing Rawnie gently off his lap, he motioned to Gwen, then followed her out. They walked in silence until they came to the lounge in the main area. Gwen sat down while Jack fixed them some coffee, "S'not as good as Ianto's, I'm afraid" she realised he sounded tired. He never sounded tired.

"What the _hell_ was that?"

He leant forward, shaking off the fatigue, "See, that's what I thought when it first started. That first week, when she went off on her own she started screaming in her sleep. She never screams. Never. Not when Janet bit her leg, not when she got shot in the abdomen" _And I __really__ hope she doesn't mention that to __**him.**_ _Then he really will kill me _" She just doesn't, so I ran in, expecting who knows what and found her screaming her head off. Then she started yelling, for the Doctor. He's her brother. At first...I thought she needed him, to tell her everything was hunky dory. But then she started mumbling something along the lines of "Don't let him, we mustn't let him.." he broke off, he'd never seen her so tortured.

"It's not my story to tell, but you oughta know. Just so you don't freak out. What do you know about her Gwen?"

"Barely anything. She's 15."

"Wrong by 135." Rawnie smiled from the doorway to the corridor.

_Oh that's just not fair. She's 150 but looks 15. Where's the justice? Dammit._

Rawnie laughed internally at Gwen's thoughts.

She moved round to the sofa, pouring herself a coffee, tossing in 4 sugars impatiently, before sitting down. And started her story, "I come from a planet far away, named Galifrey, the home of an ancient race called the Time Lords, where the burnt orange sky illuminated the silver leaves on the trees and bounced off the domes of the citadels. I was 13 when the war started - a week after my birthday. The Last Great Time War, between my people and a race called the Daleks. Every man and woman fought. The children were hidden in underground bunkers. Everyone from 14 and up had to fight. I was 13, but I wanted to fight too. I pleaded with the High Council, I was only 1 year away from the Naming Ceremony, I was top of my year at the Academy, a good fighter, a decision maker, I came from a good family, they needed soldiers, and here I was offering myself for the cause. The Doctor helped me to win them over, for some reason, he needed me to fight with him in the war."

Jack gritted his teeth over that. Seeing his expression Rawnie added, "He made sure I had this. Just in case" winding her necklace around her fingers. " The minute I stepped on the battlefield, I realised the mistake I had made." She breathed out, before continuing.

"The hidden children were found in the 1st year. They were slaughtered. So, in a way, he saved me. In the last year, I was nearly killed by the Nightmare Child, but escaped just in time, to see the inferno starting" Her eyes clouded over. "As I teleported yet again, I heard the screams carried on the wind, 2 worlds burnt in 2 seconds flat...he saw me, I know he did, standing by his TARDIS. But turned away. In shame at what he had done. To Galifrey. To me." Jack wiped his eyes. _That selfish, useless, miserable excuse for a..._

Gwen wiped away the silent tears trailing down her cheeks. "Excuse me." She rushed out. Shocked. Running back to her room, she lay on the bed, trying, uselessly to sleep.

* * *

The one thing she did notice, was that there was no more screaming that night.


	5. Discovery

**Discovery**

PC Andy Mitchell stood under a flimsy canopy of a shop in the Bay, trying fruitlessly to seek cover from the pounding Welsh rain. He stuffed his hands into his hideous neon yellow police rain jacket. Looking up, he saw an pretty young girl crossing the plaza towards the water tower. She had on no protection from the elements except a black leather jacket, her hair, tied back in a ponytail, was drenched. She stopped mid-way and just stood, her head tilted towards the sky, a brilliant grin on her face. Then he realised she was _enjoying _this painfully heavy rainfall.

_She should be in school anyway. I'm not a truant officer but hey, the law's the law. _ He started making his way towards her. But she started striding away from him. Quickly. Very Quickly.

"Excuse me! 'S'cuse me love!"

She turned round. Took in his appearance and shot him a grinn. "Yes, officer." She sounded bemused. Her brilliant deep blue eyes seemed to be laughing.

"Shouldn't you be in school, sweetheart?"

Disregarding this she asked him. "What's your name? I'm Rawnie."

"Police Constable Andy Mitchell" _Damn! _He hadn't meant to say his first name. It was like...you just told this girl stuff, no question.

"Andy, I don't go to school" she shot him another blinding smile; she suddenly pressed an expensive looking earpiece that was in her ear.

"Yeah. No. I know. Got intercepted." She smiled sardonically" By PC Andy Mitchell"

He moved uncomfortably as he heard the sound of muffled laughter, coming from the other end.

Just then, Gwen's boss, Jack Harkness came striding across to them, from out of nowhere.

_Just what I need. Torchwood. Truant officers as well are they? Taking all the good cases. Just cos all the good cases turn out to be aliens anyway._

" Andy, hey, is there a problem?"

"No _Jack_ just sorting out this young lass. S'not exactly Torchwood business is it?"

"Actually.." Rawnie said even more sardonically.

"Actually, she is Torchwood business. 24/7." He turned to Rawnie.

"There's been a archaeological discovery in a little town up north. In England. Could be some alien tech. Little place called Morpeth" he was the one sounding bemused now.

He put his arm round Rawnie's waist and they walked towards where the SUV containing the rest of the team had pulled up silently into the plaza.

Watching them go, Andy could only think of two words.

"Bloody Torchwood"

Rawnie got of the SUV and stretched. They'd had to leave Ianto behind with Molly. Didn't want her getting _too_ excited.

They were standing at the bottom of a sloping hill, with a group of moody archaeologists. The hill, Tosh had told them, led up to the high school.

"Path of the Dead. That's what Morpeth translates as, in Latin, you know. Bit gloomy..oh look a Goth, how appropriate" **I checked this with a gothic friend of mine, just to make sure it is PC. She laughed. So it's okay.**

"Archaeology, it's a good profession. What do you think, Rawnie?" Jack asked, looking away from the pretty dark haired archaeologist.

"I'm a time traveller, I point and laugh at archaeologists." She replied dryly.

Jack was standing with his hands on his hips, watching the steady stream of children coursing down the hill. A few were glancing at Rawnie, he couldn't help himself, and he put his arm, possessively around her waist. _I'm gonna have to get used to this. No one's really met Rawnie. She's always sorta blurred past or been out until 12 working every night. Not standing still . _

Rawnie looked up, then seeing the cause of Jack's neediness, leant up to kiss his cheek.

"What's the news Tosh?" he asked, looking down at the site.

Jack suddenly spotted two pretty teen girls, walking down the hill. One, long blonde hair, skinny, dark blue eyes. The other, dark medium length hair, skinny with greeny hazel eyes and some artistic eye make-up in the corner of her left eye.

One said something and the other burst out laughing. He did a double take.

_Rawnie? Racoda? _**A reference to my friend Sarah's character Racoda Moonshine in her story "An Angel in Cardiff".**

_That's weird. _He shook it off. _I wish Rawnie could have a life like that. But she wouldn't take it. She just goes looking for trouble._

"Oh crap" said Rawnie when she spotted them, she pulled at Jack's arm. "Jack, can we get out of here? Go for a bite to eat?"

"Why..."

"Hey. Is that?"

"It is! Hey Rawnie!" shouted the brunette.

"Do you know those girls?" Jack asked smiling

"Sadly...yes"

They crossed the road, eagerly. "What are you doing back _here_?"

"Erm..well..."

But then they spotted Jack, Tosh, Gwen and Owen.

"Oh. My. God. It's TORCHWOOD!" they yelled together, the few remaining students turning round to look.

"Touch Wood." Sniggered Sarah. Alex stomped on her foot, from the sound of her yelp, it hurt.

Owen put his hands over his ears. "Hang about.." he removed his hands "You know about us?"

"Erm...yeah, about that..."Rawnie looked at her feet, scuffing a trainer against the pavement.

"Never mind." Said Jack, the team stared, Jack was never this lenient, about any of their mistakes.

"What are your names? I'm-"

"Gwen. We know." Answered the blonde. "My name's Alex."

"That's good." Replied Owen, smiling. "I'm-"

"Owen. We _know_" grinned the brunette. "I'm Sarah."

"Sarah-Faye actually." Laughed Alex.

"Shut it." Sarah elbowed her, but Alex artfully dodged.

"Just Sarah." She said severely.

"Okay, Just Sarah. Hey, here's an idea." Jack grinned wickedly at Rawnie. "You guys wanna come back to our base for...lemme see. Half Term is it?"

Discreetly, Rawnie stomped on Jack's foot. With her supersensitive hearing, Rawnie was pleased to hear a metatarsal snap.

"Guys! Don't you think you should ask your parents first?" she tried to delay them

"No." They answered in unison. Surrendering with a sigh, Rawnie gave them a tight smile and walked them to the SUV.

Rawnie rolled her eyes. Sarah was playing the windows, while Alex was being intensely questioned about all they knew about Torchwood.

"I know you've got a pterodactyl named Mfanwy."

"Alright, if you're _so_ good...whose our number one enemy 'apparently'?"

"The Doctor. Because of events that happened back at Torchwood house with the Doctor, Queen Victoria and a 'werewolf'. Oh and don't bother using Retcon on us."

Sarah laughed from the back seat. Rawnie, meanwhile was frozen in her seat.

_Whose our number one enemy?_

_The Doctor._

"I'll see you back at the base." She spit through her teeth.

"What? Wait." Said Tosh.

But Rawnie was already fiddling with the controls on her Manipulator.

"Rawnie-Don't!" warned Jack.

But she disappeared, and the SUV rocked from side to side with the energy, it was all Jack could do to keep it upright.

"Trans-matter energy"

"The transition of matter from one place to the other"

Jack stared at Alex.

"Did I mention we're _brilliant_?" she said casually.

"You and me both, Alex" They laughed together, despite what would be waiting for him back at the base, Jack joined in with the rest of the team.

Andy Mitchell sat in the safety of his car, sheltering from the incessant rain. His eyes popped wide as he saw the girl from the morning, just appear out of nowhere before disappearing again.

He sighed. _Torchwood, God only knows..._

Letting his eyes wander, he saw the rain drenched body, half hidden, behind the water tower.

"Aw _come on_." He fumbled for his radio, so didn't see the sleek black SUV pull into the plaza, or Gwen hop out and tap on his window.

"Hullo hullo."

"B-b-body"

"What?"

"A body- by the water tower."

Owen was already running. He reached the body first. The body was of a man in his late 30's, smartly dressed, in a navy suit with a blue patterned tie, well fed, dark brown hair, plastered to his forehead, watery blue eyes staring blankly up at the sky. Kneeling to examine it he exclaimed "Death by suffocation. But...there's no marks on the neck, nada"

"Gwen keep those 2 back" he motioned at the schoolgirls, but they pushed past her. Alex's eyes widened but apart from that her face was concerned at the sight of the dead body, she stood frozen. "Oh god. Oh my god. Who would do such a thing?" she moved to kneel next to Owen, by the body as he closed the victim's eyes, she did not touch the corpse. Sarah, meanwhile stood, frozen in shock as Alex had before "Whoa... I wonder what happened here?!"

"You said you were hiding a child" Alex commented , from a conversation they'd had in the car. "Well, it looks like whatever _it_ is, has discovered your little secret. And they want your attention"

"By dumping a body of an innocent man on your doorstep?" asked Sarah, Jack was amazed to see that they had both got very serious, very fast. _I could use some-one like them. Too bad their still at school. _

"They've got it." Jack turned up his collar and walked towards the tourist office entrance.

He turned round, to see where his team were. Alex and Sarah were standing on the invisible lift. Like they'd read it from a map. But, like the rest of the team, they were staring at the object Owen had just pulled from the dead man's mouth.

A red rose petal.


	6. Run!

**

* * *

**

Run!

**This is one of my absolute FAVOURITE chapters of **_**Ice.**_ **Enjoy, x.**

* * *

Jack couldn't help watch the two strange girls. Both were drinking one of Ianto's cappuccinos, Sarah was wrapped in a blanket, feeding Mfanwy, her special protein sauce while Alex was _stroking_ her, oblivious to the fact that she was sopping wet and laughing at his awestruck expression. The girls were obviously very close, with obvious similarities, their humour, the most prominent, but another was a protectiveness, they looked after each other, that was obvious too, but their differences were extreme too, in a good way.

"Why do you always show people the _pterodactyl _first?" asked Gwen

"It's a conversation starter" answered Jack._ Not with these 2 though_

He could see why Rawnie liked them. Gwen was showing them round the Hub, or rather, _trying_ to show them. It was as if, Alex knew her way around perfectly. They had disappeared into his office, quickly. He sat at Rawnie's workstation, boring a hole in the door, with his gaze, until they re-entered the room, smiling to each other.

When they had entered the Hub, they had simply smiled and nodded appreciatively. The team walked in to find a dangerously quiet Rawnie, sitting at her desk, tossing an apple between her two hands, but not focusing on them. When she saw Ianto and Owen carrying in the body, she put the apple down on her workstation, moving forward. Then she saw the rose petal, that a stunned Gwen was clutching in her numb fingers. Grabbing her apple throwing it fiercely between her fingers, she disappeared on the spot. Alex and Sarah hadn't blinked, obviously used to Rawnie's teleportation. _Just how much __has__ she told them? Way too much, most likely._

_

* * *

_

_If it's who I think it is, and if they're after Molly...well, they're not playing their games with me. _

She walked into Molly's room, from where she'd just teleported to outside. She grabbed Molly's hand and teleported to the main walkway out of the Hub.

"Where are we going?"

"Good question." Came Jack's voice from a gantry above them

"Rawnie? My office. Now."

Dropping Molly's hand, she walked to his office door.

* * *

She closed the door quietly and hissed "_Why didn't you tell me?"_

Jack breathed out. All the courage that he had mustered to cover this dangerous subject had evaporated.

"I didn't want to worry you"

"_Worry me?! We are facing Mara. Jack. Mara. The oldest most magical race in the universe and you DIDN'T WANT ME TO WORRY?! Jack, they've found her. We've only got one shot to save her. To stop this." _It was her turn to breathe out. Her face grew calmer.

"You said you lost her mother?" her voice still sounded worried.

"She went to visit her mother's graveside. On the outskirts of the city. Molly was born in their land. She _belongs_ to them. There's nothing we can do, it's Jasmine Pierce all over again. We can't win."

"Last time you didn't have me."

He stood up, "Your just a child!"

She was on her feet in seconds "In human years! On Galifrey, I would have already graduated the Academy, gone through the Naming ceremony – I'd be considered a – young- adult. Like a human in their twenties! My people would have stopped this. Right now, I'd be sitting in the mountains watching the sun go down, with the Doctor."

"Then it's a good thing Galifrey's dead."

Rawnie's head shot up. And Jack gulped, for the first time ever, he feared for his life. Because, the look on Rawnie's face was one he'd never seen, it was one of pure utter hatred, one of disgust, anger, disbelief and pain too. He saw her left hand twitch towards her gun at her waist. _Damn. I'm gunna be pumped full of lead by a TimeLady teenager. I know I said I'd take a bullet for her but this is taking the biscuit. No, this is taking the whole tin. _

A chill ran down his spine as she said the next sentence. "_I wouldn't even need to use my hands"_ She shot out of the room, like a bullet from a gun.

She walked out of room abruptly and pulled Molly onto the invisible lift, in his peripheral vision, he saw Alex nod at Sarah. They moved towards the lift.

"I didn't...I mean...I.."

"Message recieved Captain"

He gave up -"Remember what I said"

"Perfectly" answered Rawnie, icily. "Just taking Molly for a day out."

As they reached street level, he heard Rawnie call down, "You can't stop me Jack, I'm gunna stop this. You just watch me"

"Oh hell" he raced up the stairs to get to the street level. He noticed Alex, Gwen and Sarah behind him.

* * *

When they reached the plaza, he saw Rawnie and Molly running across the plaza. The group pursued them, Alex and Sarah overtook Jack. They turned round and for humans , looked momentarily terrifying, _something they must have picked up from Rawnie, _he watched as the 2 other girls disappeared around the corner

"Let her go, Jack" said Sarah.

"No, you don't understand, your just-"

"Children? Human?" asked Alex, "'cos Rawnie showed us that we're so much more. Plus, we discovered everything there is to know about Torchwood, overnight. Your files aren't as well protected as you think they are"

_I'll have to talk to Ianto about that._

"Including what you, Ianto and his stopwatch get up to at night" Sarah added, sardonically.

_How did they- he FILES __that?!_

"We're gunna go help her"

"The hell you are! Your coming back to the Hub with me an' Gwen"

"Not a chance in hell" laughed Alex, and she pulled out Sarah-Jane's Warp Star from her pocket.

"Where did you get that? I hid it in my office..." _when they went into my office, nut how did they find it?_

Judging from the expression on his face Sarah said "We're just that good"

Jack started towards them "That's no ordinary necklace, so why don't you just –put-it-down"

"We know what it is Jack, and you come any closer and- we'll blow up that building"

"You're _not_ that good." He continued his advance.

" Wanna bet?" and Alex activated the device.

* * *

The building exploded in a ball of flame, that threw Jack backwards into Gwen, the two girls simply stood there, unaffected.

"You blew up a building?" asked Sarah.

"Sarah, let's face it, it's not the worst thing you've caught me doing"

Jack pulled Gwen to her feet "All right?"

"Yeah, holy cow, I had no idea..."

"Run!" yelled Alex, they sprinted away, Jack drew his weapon , a Wembley, and covered their retreating backs, and... suddenly he couldn't do it.

If he killed 2 teenagers, girls no less, what did that make him? 2 girls who were nothing short of human twins of the two women, he admired, loved in the world, and he knew that made him nothing short of an emotionless monster.

Jack dropped his gun arm. He glared at the sky, turned round exasperated, and kicked a heavy piece of rubble, breaking his healed metatarsal.

"Are there ANY normal teenagers in this world? And how come they always find their way to Cardiff?"

_They come here, they all come here. How do they __find me?!_

**

* * *

**

Please, please Saz, DO NOT make :

Sarah, let's face it, it's not the worst thing you've caught me doing **. I knew you would but please try. Please. Hope you like it, one of my favourite bits is the **"Including what you, Ianto and his stopwatch get up to at night" Sarah added, sardonically.

sick. Please. One of my favourite lines is:

_How did they- he FILES __that?!_

**I love it! Hope you like it? Is my description of us good? Review, review, review.**


	7. Cavalry

**The Cavalry**

**This is a bit random, as it is just building up the story. FWI instead of meeting Sarah Jane at Journey's End, he met her earlier, where she gave him the Warp Star. Instead of later on. And he met the entire team of SJA so knows who Luke is. Enjoy, x.**

Molly was dragging her feet. "I'm tired...can't we go home? Where are we going...? "

Rawnie stopped and dropped Molly's hand, frustrated. Molly slid to the ground, unperturbed by the wet paving.

"We've gotta keep going!"

"No-I wanna rest" Molly whined.

"Argh! Wait!" she pulled out her Torchwood, standard issue mobile phone, then realised _He can track me with this. _She dropped her phone and ground it under her foot – pulling out her personal mobile from a hidden inside pocket in the process. Just before she could access the number she needed, Alex and Sarah rounded the corner.

"Oh joy! Guys, go back."

"The cavalry's here" announced Alex.

"Do do do duuuuuu" Sarah attempted a trumpet

"Where's Jack?" asked Rawnie worriedly.

"We delayed him, by around...5 minutes"

"How?"

"Oh you know same as usual...Alex blew up a building, we told Jack that we hacked into the Torchwood files."

"You blew up a building! Which building?!"

"Dunno. Old. Abandoned. No worries."

Jack stared at the burning remains of the tower block, trying to find a safe way round for Gwen.

"That's it. She can take care of herself. We'll just have to leave her. If the Mara get to her first...well that's her problem."

"Jack! How can you- Well, you obviously don't care about her safety!" Gwen exclaimed turning away from him.

"Don't you _dare_ say I don't care about her" he grabbed her wrist and Gwen gasped as the realisation hit her

"You love her" Gwen said incredulously. The other day, when she had been thinking over Rawnie and Jack's relationship , she had just though he needed her. Her intelligence, her calming effect, her bravery, her skills, most of the things he needed from the rest of the team on a daily basis, just that Jack needed Rawnie. That's all, she hadn't thought**, for one second** that he _loved_ her. All of the flirting, the hugs, kissing her cheek, hand holding was just Jack. Self-explanatory. Gwen reached out her hand, a first, "There's still time." And off they ran...

"Quick. Hide Molly. Now!" The older 2 girls bundled the younger behind a statue. Telling her she had to be quiet. As they straightened up they saw Jack and Gwen tearing down the street. Rawnie had her phone pressed to her ear. _Pick up. Pick up. Please, pick up._

"Gotcha....where's Molly?"

"No idea" Sarah lied smoothly, "Now, ssssh, Rawnie's on the phone"

"God dammit! Rawnie get off the damn phone and tell me what the hell you've done with Molly!" he roared.

"Hey! It's me. No I'm not in the area. Cardiff. How're you? And the others? Aw brilliant. No, no, I know. Yeah" she laughed "So, look I need your help, can you tell me that if I triplicated the power of my Vortex Manipulator I'd be able to disrupt another Teleportation field of around 100?"

A long response came buzzing out the other end. "Aw you are brilliant, you are! Yeah okay. No! _Really? _"

"Enough chatting to your girlfriends, gimme the phone"

"I'm not chatting to my girlfriends, I'm catching up with Luke Smith, Sarah Jane's son." She hissed at him

Distracted Jack asked "Y'know Sarah-Jane? " _She has a son?_

"What? " she spoke to the boy on the other end "No, I'm still here. I miss you too. _Your where?_ Fantastic! I'll see you soon. Roald Dahl Plass. Okay-look I'd better go. Love you. Bye."

She snapped the phone shut. "_What?"_

"_Love you" _mimicked Jack. "Don't you think your sending mixed messages telling him that?"

"Mixed Messages? I phoned up my boyfriend to tell him I love him, how is that a mixed message?"

"_Your boyfriend_?!" asked the others. Jack's heart stopped, and shattered into a million pieces. _Boyfriend. Luke Smith is her boyfriend._

"Yeah, him, Sarah-Jane, and our other friends are coming to visit, to surprise me." She informed them casually.

"How long's that been going on?" asked Sarah

"Erm, well, we started going out when 3 months after I met him, and that was before I met Jack, and that was 6 months ago, so..it'll be nine months this month" she smiled.

Gwen looked at Jack. He was white. Staring over Rawnie's shoulder, at 4 approaching strangers.

"Rawnie" they called. Rawnie grinned, turned round and ran to meet them, Sarah and Alex hot on her heels.

"Sarah-Jane Smith!" called out Alex.

"I know!" responded Sarah.

One of the boys, with brown hair, in a brown t-shirt picked Rawnie up and twirled her in a circle before setting her down and kissing her.

Jack couldn't stop staring. _She's never let me kiss her. And that's why. All this time..._

Watching Jack, Gwen thought _Captain Jack Harkness has had his heart broken. What the hell is going on?! By a 15 year old alien. He sure can pick 'em. _

Wiping the single tear on his cheek, Jack only said

"Here come the cavalry"

**Rawnie's dating Luke Smith!!!! That idea has been in my head for ages! **


	8. Disgrace

**Disgrace**

**FWI : Alex est moi and Sarah is 1 of my best friends in real life. As Sarah says in her story An Angel in Cardiff, we both thought it would be a good idea to put ourselves in our stories. **_**Aw come on, everybody thinks about doing it. You do. Admit it. You just do. **_

They walked back, holding hands. There had been hugging from the others but Jack could tell it was Luke she had really wanted to see. Alex and Sarah were practically bouncing around, but Gwen simply stood beside him. "I'm sorry. And...if you love her, truly love her, then...shouldn't you be happy that she's happy?"

"Yes. I should. But that doesn't mean I have to be." He then plastered a classic cheesy Jack grin on his face and went to greet them.

"Miss. Smith. It's an honour."

"Likewise Captain. Let me introduce you. This is Clyde," she indicated the shorter boy with black stubbly hair " this is Rani", a pretty dark haired girl in denim. "And my son, Luke" the boy holding Rawnie's hand, waved.

_He has no idea how lucky he is._

"So Rawnie, how come you never mentioned charming Luke here?" Gwen flinched when she heard the effort he was putting into that sentence.

"It never came up." She shrugged with a smile, although, she was biting her lip.

_I wonder why that is..._

Jack interrupted her train of thought "I'm sorry, folks, but I'll need to borrow Rawnie here for a bit- why don't you all explore the city?"

"Oh that's not fair-" began Clyde, but Rawnie shot him a look. "Go on guys, catch you later." She looked meaningfully at Luke before pecking him on the cheek.

"It's fine. Go. Have fun. I know I will be." She winked and walked to the invisible lift. Alex and Sarah followed.

"Don't you want to go sight-seeing?" asked Gwen of the two, as she pulled Molly of the pavement and back to the Hub.

"Nope" they smiled

"What are you, her lapdogs?" asked Jack, under his breath. Sarah bristled at this remark, but Alex laughed it off.

" Where she goes, we go – it's called friendship, Jack, have you heard of it?"

Jack shut the door of Rawnie's room. She sat on the bed. Bracing herself for the onslaught.

_I'm not afraid of him. He doesn't scare me. He worries me. _She nibbled her lip, subconsciously.

"You directly disobeyed me. " he began quietly, seething. "You removed a person who was in my care – for whom I am responsible. You let 2 teenage girls blow up a building. Dammit Rawnie! Your supposed to follow me, I ow-"

Rawnie stood up, enraged. "How was that sentence gunna end? _You own me_? Ha! And I _didn't _let them. That was your fault" ignoring Jack's stuttering and red face, she continued " _You_ brought them here. They're _your_ responsibility. Deal with it."

"Oh I'll show you how I deal with it." He said. He turned opened the door. Walked out, and locked it.

" You can't keep me here! He'll have your head for this when I tell him. I swear, I'm getting out of here" she screamed, angrily fiddling with her Manipulator – but it wasn't working

" oh _Nice_."she breathed exasperated. She paced the room, angrily, kicking the door in frustration, every now and then.

She heard a shuffling, whispering noise from the other side of the door. There was a thump and a cursing. Followed by another thump and more cursing.

The door flung open, Alex and Sarah stood on the other side, taking in her shocked expression, they winked at each other

_This is gunna be so funny_

_I can't wait to see her face_

"How the heck?"

"Oh – didn't we mention – we kinda have magical powers." laughed Alex." Well I wouldn't call them magical. Oh what the hell – the are pretty damn special after all"

"What _are_ you on about? How did you get the door open?"

Alex, promptly gazed at the open door, which flew off it's hinges and almost hit the back wall.

"Telekinesis? " she asked.

"Don't you just love it? And there's more where that came from. But not now. What's the plan - to save Molly?"

"We did consider melting the doorknob – but that's just _too_ obvious, don't ya think?." Added Sarah wryly.

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Rawnie looking them up and down before rolling her eyes. "1, "she held up a finger, focused, "we get her out, 2, we get her out the country. And," she considered it "we do it without Jack murdering us, first."

"Sounds like a plan" commented Sarah, happy to be making mischief. They walked along the corridor, quickly, but quietly, so as not to raise attention...and walked right into Jack.

"Housten, we have a problem"

"_Gee, ya think?"_


	9. Unrequited

**Unrequited**

**This is one of my favourite and most hated chapters of the story. Favourite because of what Rawnie does worst because of what happens to Jack. =(**

All in all, it hadn't gone _too_ badly. He'd only gripped her by the elbow. Turned her round and frog marched her back to her room. The good news was: he hadn't locked the door. _Because, I don't have door to lock._ Thought Rawnie ruefully, glancing over at the door that was now propped against the wall. The bad news was: Ianto was guarding the doorway. Alex & Sarah had gotten off, easily, Gwen was 'keeping them under surveillance' _so unfair. They blew up a building __and __broke me out. Yet I'm the one doing time._

Jack walked up to Ianto and murmured something. Ianto glanced, untrustingly _the cheek! After all I've done for him! _ In her direction, but nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

he took a deep breath. "Hey" _Just_ _get it over with ya idiot, before she whips out her gun and shoots you!_ Rawnie ignored him.

"So look, I'm sorry I kinda yelled Atcham but you're my responsibility, alright? If anything happened to you-"he winced "I don't wanna even think what the Doctor would do. "

"Your _responsibility_?!" choked Rawnie "Excuse me! But, as I recall, I didn't ask to be your responsibility. I can look after myself; I don't need you to do it for me! As for the Doctor- he doesn't even know I'm alive, _plus_, plus, you've already gotten me: shot in the abdomen, bitten, burned, stabbed" she counted them off on her fingers "Oh yeah, and the time I got pushed off a cliff, thank god, that bouncy castle was there, so don't you lecture me about looking after myself!"

"Well" Jack fired back "You aren't s'actly the easiest kid to look after! I locked you in here for your own safety"

"Don't make me laugh" she spat "Torchwood isn't the safest place now is it? How does that old phrase go 'you die young doing this job', well at 15 I think I broke the record for Youngest Death by Torchwood, don't you?! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to first try to save a young girls life, if it's at all possible, after you mucked it up, then I'm spending time with my boyfriend!"

She tried to push past him, seething.

He wasn't having that. "Sit down."

She glared at him "I don't see why I should"

"Just sit down." Replied Jack wearily.

"Fine." He sat down beside her.

"You wanna know why I'm so protective of you? It's cos I love you." He blurted out.

"I know you do" she said with a cheeky wink, all smiles now. _She doesn't understand._

He took both of her long, thin hands in his large ones.

"Rawnie, look at me, it's because _I love you"_

_Oh snap. You're not allowed to say __**that**__ one._

Rawnie looked down, and then up, and Jack could see something in her eyes. Something sad.

She took a deep breath "Jack, I do love you, but I'm not _in_ love with you"

And something in Jack, snapped.

"Oh because your _so_ in love with Lukeyboy, that you ran off in search of the Doctor!"

"That is not fair. I need to find the Doctor you know that. But _Luke, _however, understands it!"She spat

"Answer me 1 thing. Just so I can understand. Is it the intelligence?"

"I'm glad you think so much of me. I l_ove_ him. How do you explain love, Jack?"

"But," and, for the first time in his life, he wanted to hurt Rawnie, hurt her for breaking his heart. "He'll die. He's human, he's gunna age and shrivel up and die and leave you. But you and me, us, we could have eternity. Together."

"You just don't get it do you?" she started, enraged. "I came here and met you an' thought, here's some-one who gets it. Not just the aliens, I mean, the guys, they get that, but _you _know about time travelling and the Doctor. _I need him Jack. _I thought you understood. Luke gets that! Sarah and Alex get that! "

"But what about us? You'd be happy with me, you know you would, an' you'll get older, so the Doc can't object that much" he said, sounding happier, hopeful.

"That's just it" and already her tone sounded apologetic "Timelords...here's the funny thing...we don't age, we regenerate. Since I'm still young, I _am _still aging. But at 16-17 tops, I stop. That's it. Forever. " she smiled sadly.

"I just can't catch a break, can I?" he asked himself "But you belong _here_ with me" he whined softly

"Wait. Ohhhh. _Now I understand_. You think I belong with you, right? _If it's alien" _she pointed at herself, getting angry _"It's ours _that old Torchwood motto. How could I be so blind?! Well, here's a newsflash for you Jack. Time's up."

"What are you _talking_ about?" he yelled back.

"When you offered me the job here. I thought right, I'll give myself a time limit of 6 months, an' if the Doctor turns up. Hey, kudos for you but this is the sixth month Jack. Game over. I quit."

"Alright," said Jack, frostily, swallowing. "So you're resigning? You're no longer part of the team." He got up.

"Jack – I'll always"

"No. That's just it. You won't. What about the flirting, huh? Not a very loyal girlfriend" he just couldn't stop himself.

"How _dare you." _ She fired up again.Luke's too good for me. Waiting. Always waiting. Sarah – Jane's worried about what it'll do to him, when I leave – or when we meet up in 20 years, say and I'm still young. And as to the flirting Jack...when I'm with you, I can't help flirting, nobody can, it's involuntary..." she gestured, trying to find the words "it's a knee jerk reaction!" she finished.

He laughed bitterly" Oh _right. _An' ya see, the guys are great, but like you said, they don't get it. You do. The Doctor, Time travel, TARDIS. An' for decades now I've felt alone, cos no-one knows. I couldn't talk about to anyone It drove me mad! But then you came along, " He paused at the doorframe on his way out "An' the crazy thing is...when I'm with you I don't feel so alone."

He walked out of the room, shaking his head, dismissively, calling to the team and Molly.

"Where are you taking her?" called Rawnie, rushing after him.

"Since you're no longer part of the team, it doesn't concern you!" he said icily while tugging at Molly's arm. Sarah poked Alex, and they both glanced at Molly, worriedly. The look of fear had gone. And she was smiling. Jack grimaced when he noticed.

Alex and Sarah sat bewildered. Jack jumped onto the invisible lift and when he came level with Rawnie looked coldly back. And her words chilled his blood.

"If I don't like it. It will stop"

**A bit of a shouting match – but this is how I pictured it. Hope you like it. I know I feel sorry for Jack too, but it had to be done. It'll all fall into place. These two quotes **If I don't like it will stop **I love it! Or...**When I'm with youI don't feel so alone. **It gets me every time. Poor Jack...**


	10. Time waits for noone but me

**Eternal Life**

"Right come on you two! We've gotta go. We've gotta stop this!" Rawnie was bouncing on her feet.

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" asked Sarah dryily.

Rawnie paused. "You have no idea do you? You're just making this up as you go along!" realised Alex.

"Yes" smiled Rawnie "But I do it brilliantly. Now, once more unto the breach"

"Shakespeare said that"

"Oh just..._shift"_

They raced up the stairs and burst onto the plaza. "They're not here." Said Sarah flatly.

"Oh barrel of laughs you are."

"She is actually" said Alex defensively.

"I know" grinned Rawnie cheekily. She caught sight of something up ahead. "Look!" It was the SUV, wheels screeching along the damp pavement. "But where are they-?"

"The forest! You know! The one where Jasmine Pierce disappeared!"

"Oh, I like you."

"But we'll never catch 'em."

"Never say never. Manipulator?" she took their hands and set the little device....

"Ouch!"

"Never again."

"Time travel without a capsule" stretched Rawnie, cricking her neck as she did so. "It's a killer"

That's when they heard it. The whispering, a sort of singing carried away on the wind.

"Okay, that's creepy." The other two looked at her, frightened, looking for a reassurance that she could not give.

"We just have to sit and wait now" said Rawnie, her voice bright and a little too enthusiastic.

"What d'you mean 'time-travel'?" asked Sarah, still a little dizzy.

"Put your head between your knees" said Alex absentmindedly. She was trying to stop the room from spinning herself. Sarah slid down beside a rock, in a crude stone circle in the clearing, curling up in a loose foetal postion with her head between her knees as suggested.

"_River dancing in Ireland._ What d'you think dummy? Travelling forwards through time. We're hear a full 5 minutes earlier than we woulda been"

That's when they heard the voices. Sarah stood up from her loose foetal position Alex clutched at Rawnie, woozily for support. Ready to face whatever was coming.

"But do you think she's okay? I mean, she said she'd catch up with us later...well how long is later, d'you think? And what did she mean by 'catch up'"

"Luke, my man, after nine months with her I thought you woulda figured that out by now."

"Honestly Clyde! Luke, she meant she'd see you soon. And I'm sure she's fine"

"After all," broke in a 4th voice "this is Rawnie we're talking about"

They broke through the trees. The relief on Luke (and Sarah-Jane's) face was imminent. Clyde smiled, and Rani grinned. "Speakin o'which"

"Hey" Rawnie smiled.

"What'r e you doing here?" asked Sarah and Clyde together. Before anyone else could answer Torchwood 3 burst into the clearing.

"Ah." Said Jack, awkwardly as the realisation of the chance he had of getting past Rawnie hit him "Damn"

Molly skipped into view laughing, humming to herself. _No!_ Realised Rawnie.

"You can't." She told him

"I think you'll find I can"

"I told you," and here she eyed everyone of the team "If I didn't like it, it would stop. Well, this classifies."

"What're we doing here, Jack. What's she on about? What doesn't she like?" asked Tosh, worriedly.

There was the sound of fluttering and childish laughter."Does that answer your question?" asked Alex, coldly.

Molly had now spotted the stone circle. She skipped into it, giggling all the while.

"Time waits for no man. You are too late" Jack informed her.

"Lucky I'm a girl then. After all, time waits for no-one but me" Luke laughed and Jack hated him for it. Luke stepped forward and placed his arm around her waist. Jack's teeth snapped together.

"No!" yelled Owen, pointing, "he really means it. Look!"

They all whipped around to follow his finger. And that's when they saw them. Tiny, fluttering, glittering points of light, filling the air with childish laughter. But, as they watched, the shapes began to blur and distort....

"The nightmare begins"


	11. Trinity

**The Trinity**

They stood, tall, lean, almost skeletal, monstrous. Teeth gleaming in the midday sun, despite the rain that was beginning to pour down again. Wraith-like.

"Urgh. That is **so** creepy" said Sarah.

"_Isn' t it?" _Replied Alex. Her face scrunching up in disgust for a second.

Molly laughed and began to wave at them, clapping her hands in delight.

They, all together, leant forward into hunting crouches and stole forward, 3 of them staying close to their Chosen One.

_This kid is way too much trouble _ thought Owen, bracing himself for the oncoming. Whatever it might be. He could see Jack moving towards the girls and Luke. Toshiko was standing too close to him, knowing this could get ugly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist gently towing her back to the cover provided by the trees and the rest of the team.

"Luke" Rawnie glanced at him "Go to Sarah-Jane. I'll be fine" Seeing his reluctance, she nodded fiercely. "I want you safe". His arm slid from her waist and he backed away, squeezing the tips of her fingers lightly, as he backed away, Sarah-Jane grabbed him and pulled him out of the immediate danger zone. Those words stung Jack a little, she didn't want _him_ safe. Or maybe she did. _Whatever. Getting the team away safely. And not destroying the universe, well that's just a bonus. _When they had seemingly accessed that the humans were of no danger to their quest the Mara began inaudibly conversing with Molly. Her eyes flashed towards the two groups, half of them had one of their hands at their hips, gripping their guns.

"_Come away Oh Human child" _it came like a breath on the wind, and sent chills down the three girls spines

Jack bowed his head as Molly turned as if to walk away but then a voice rang out

"Suppose we make her stay with us."

Jack winced at the tone in her voice, he knew that tone, that was the tone she used when she wasn't gonna lose.  
"Then lots more people will die." Stated Molly matter of factly. "They've searched for decades but you hid me. They couldn't find me. They said they'd kill to keep me safe. "  
"They tell you that?" called Gwen from the trees. It unnerved her to see Molly's head snap up to look at her  
" They promised."  
_"Come away, oh human child."_  
Next time, they'll kill your entire team, like they did my mother. And that man."

During this conversation Rawnie, followed by her two best friends had snuck up on the child and it was now that she grasped Molly round the middle.  
"How do you know these things? She's just a child. Just a little girl. I won't let you take her. She isn't sure"  
"**Yes I am!** If they want to, they can make great storms, wild seas, they can turn the world to ice, kill every living thing. Let me go!" Molly struggled in her arms, flailing.  
"**A** Dead world. Is that what you want?" she asked bitterly.  
" What good is that to you? There will be no more Chosen Ones." Called Jack.

He saw something flash across Rawnie's face. " Hang on." She seemed to focus on the Mara but Ianto noticed that her grip on Molly never slackened.

"More Chosen Ones! Molly has been frozen for _eighty years_. You can't sustain yourself unless you have a Chosen One." She addressed the Mara " How long did you search before you started considering the possibility she was dead, eh? 26 years possibly?"

"Accurate guess" commented Jack

"Who said anything about guessing?" her eyes never left the creatures in front of her.

"Cos one's born every 26 years, but you waited, for years and when you finally give up, you choose another 3 and she turns up!"

"What are you talking 'bout?"

"There are another 3 chosen ones."

"I've had enough of this"

"Jack! NO!" she lunged at him, but too late, he released 2 shots from his Wembley in quick succession, towards the Mara

They reacted just as quickly, the earth began to shake, a fierce wind blew towards the trees, so that the trees branches whipped at her friend's faces.

"Are you doing this?" shouted Sarah

"No! You?" shrieked Alex, back at her.

Amidst the chaos, Owen suddenly noticed the 3 teen girls in front of him, standing perfectly still, not a hair out of place, standing firmly on the ground. Untouched.

"Rawnie, Alex, Sarah!" he yelled to them "It's you! You're the Chosen Ones!"

"What?!"

That's when the girls heard the breathy, singsong whisper carried on the wind,

"_Come away, O human child!_

_To the waters and the wild_

_With a faery, hand in hand,_

_For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."_

"Do you hear that?" asked Alex, shivering

"No" everyone chorused except the two beside her

"What can you hear?"

Sarah repeated the rhyme, speaking loud and clear, so there would be no misunderstanding

"So that means...."

"You are kidding me!"

"Blimey! It's us!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What are you on about?!" said Sarah "This is cool"

"_The Trinity"_

"3 came along at once. They're bound to have a name for us"

She turned to her friends "Right, listen to me closely, you run. You don't stop, you don't hide. You run"

"What?"

"They won't let you just walk outta here. I'll have to distract them.... Wait" she smiled as some strange idea dawned on her "I'll go. 1 should be enough. But, you still gotta watch your backs. Constantly. Promise?"

"Promise"

"Promise"

"Hang on- whatta you mean – you'll go?"

"Erm...as in, I'll go?"

"No, you won't!" called Jack, coming up behind her, tackling her, so she lost her hold on Molly, throwing her to the ground.  
"Lemme up you idiot!"

He obliged but exerted a claw like grip on her wrist. She ripped herself free and ran towards the creatures

"You can't" cried Jack, she paused hesitantly, turning back to look at him. "You can't leave me. You're just a kid. The Doctor will murder me. You just can't"

"D'you think I don't know that? 'Cos this is my life Jack- it's not clever, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision-" her eyes looked angry, distant.

"'cos no-one else will."


	12. Eternal life

**Eternal Life**

**Bit o' a short sharp ending but the end o the conflict isn't that import. It's the bit after! Can you guess where Jack's first lines are from?**

"Rawnie" growled Jack, as she edged ever closer " Just stop! Just think!" They all stood watching, as Captain Jack Harkness, their fearless leader, knelt on the ground, begging.

Ianto, was however, (for once) not watching Jack. His gaze was locked on Rawnie's face. Beneath the grimace that he was guessing came from the gravity of the situation there was a smile, barely, _but it's there. _

"You're used to this, aren't you? That facial expression you have. When things get a bit, out of control. Like you enjoy it. Like you get a high from the danger." He commented, Rawnie met his gaze but didn't stop.

"Yes. _And_?"

Jack gaped, distracted. "You'd enjoy _anything!"_

"Oh yes!"

"Don't do this!" called Jack desperately, then to the Mara "You _swear _she won't be harmed?"

"_She lives forever"_

"Chillax Jack" he could tell she was trying to be calm, but he could she her hands shaking "Remember what John Hart said?"

_What does that have to do with anything? _"I try not to." He answered.

"He said Pretty Little Team you've got here. No blonde though .You need a blonde. I was that Blonde"

The other girls began to panic when they noticed the golden fog, that was starting to envelope them. Rawnie tried to quieten them. "Girls, listen to me. There are 2 types of people in this world, there are those who panic and then there's us. Get it?"

"Got it." They replied shakily, swallowing their fear as best they could

"Good." Her face transformed into a smile "I have a plan" then louder:

"I will go with you, willingly, if you promise to leave the other Chosen Ones alone."

"_We make no such promise"_

"Then I ain't coming"

"_You'll live forever" _ they coaxed

"I already do. " Alex and Sarah gaped now _That is just...._

"_Wait!_" called Jack, running forward, he bent down, crouching on his haunches until at eyelevel with Molly. "Do you want to go with them?" he whispered. She nodded emphatically. "Go then."

He straightened up "There take her. But leave the others. We'll give you her but not the others" his eyes lingered on Rawnie's face

The fog, disappeared as quickly as it had come and as Jasmin Pierce had before her, Molly Walker, skipped into the woodland, until she disappeared followed by her shimmering faery friends

The air was tangent with tension "Now _that_ was lucky" said Owen. And then it hit.

Rawnie stood motionless. There were whoops of joy and hugging. The two girls high fived each other, gleefully.

But all Rawnie could think was _It's over. It's really over. I lost. Good grief, never thought I'd be a sore loser .Jack sacrificed her..._And then, as if he were standing right next to her, the Doctor's voice sounded in her ear

"_So that you could find your way back to me" _

Suddenly someone touched her arm. She turned to face Luke, revealing her tearstained face

"Hey why are you crying? We won!"

"'Cos I needed him – and he wasn't here. Again. And I'm no closer to finding him than I was six months ago...an there's no one else"

"there's me " he said quietly, comfortingly.

Swallowing her tears she instructed him to get the guys and go and wait for her in the car.

"15 minutes" she told him

Then she heard a something that sent shivers down her spine

"15 minutes till what?"


	13. Let me go

**Let me go**

**Right, so hello! Oh, new teeth. *Looks perplexed* That's weird. Anyway where were we? Ah that's right - the Torchwood team have just defeated the Mara but then Rawnie tells Luke '15 minutes'. Until what? And what's going to happen to the two heroic teens? Read on to find out. (Maybe they go to Barcelona. And a find some dogs with no noses…focus Alex, focus) **

Rawnie hastily shoved as many clothes as she could get her hands onto into her already bulky backpack. While simultaneously thrusting her mobile, ID, and many other things into her black leather messenger bag. "I've not got much time".

Ianto flicked the light off with his elbow and began to walk along the dimly lit side corridor towards Jack's office. Since there was less light, his other senses acclimatized accordingly. His nostrils filled with the comforting smell of freshly brewed coffee and his smart Italian loafers clicked on the smooth paved cement floor. Up ahead he could see a brought white light flooding a portion of the corridor, there was a light whispering sound and.. Every now and then a light thump or occasional rattle. As he passed Rawnie's room, _figures he'd allocate her somewhere so close_. _Oh Ianto, jealous of a 15 year old. This is low even for me I forgot it was down here. _He looked in and did a double take.

Clothes were strewn _everywhere_, all over the floor the bed and a scarf was even hanging from the lamp shade. The wardrobe doors were wide open, drawers in chests open higgledy piggledy. _That is gunna take me __**ages **_thought Ianto _Unless…_

Rawnie stood in the middle of the room, gesticulating wildly, muttering under her breath as she forced the zipper round on an exceedingly bulshy backpack. She spun around looking for something and picked her black leather jacket out of the mess. As Ianto watched the spectacle, the coffee, quite forgotten, a thought occurred to him _What is she…oh…oh right. _Rawnie glanced around the room, her eyes scanning every surface as she checked her messenger bag. That's when she spotted Ianto. He opened his mouth. Seeing this her expression became one of utmost horror. "No" she whispered, pleadingly, waving her hands in front of her, warningly, panicking, "Don't, Ianto, please, don't…"

"JAAAAACCCCKKK!"

She winced. Quickly she forced the zipper round, zipped up her jacket and flung her bag over her head. After a few seconds, Jack appeared in the doorway, looking at Ianto, panic stricken.

"What fresh hell?!". That's when he spotted the bombsite of a bedroom, with the now ghostly pale alien in the middle of it all. His eyes honed in on the backpack she'd just slung onto her shoulder.

"Ohhh no ya don't" he lunged towards her, his hands whistling past where her waist had just been. She barged past Ianto, upsetting the coffee cups and fled down the corridor with Jack in hot pursuit. She had reached the main Hub area in seconds but then Jack's leadership mode kicked in. Analysing the layout of the room in correlation to everyone's positions and all available exits…"Don't let her get to the Lift!" he directed Gwen, whose desk was the closest to it. Rawnie simply swerved, sprinting towards the reception area but Ianto got round her, blocking her way. She paused, assessing the situation - her eyes huge and wild. "What's happening?" asked Toshiko.

"Good question" commented Jack, although he had a pretty good idea already. "Where you going?"

"I've had enough. I'm leaving. And anyway, what's it to you? None o you're beeswax."

"The hell it…" he choked. " **You**" he jabbed the air in her direction "Are part of **my** team" he indicated himself.

"Except I'm not. I resigned. "**Remember" **she spat with a venomous tone.

"Oh 'cos people resign from Torchwood all the time" he scoffed. A few of the others tittered nervously.

"Well I always was the exception" her eyes glinted and she sprang to her station, getting a programme running.

What're you doing?" he growled.

"Present for you. A virus that wipes every mention of me from the Torchwood database. No trace. No footprint. No nothing"

"That is illegal use of Torchwood property" _Oh, so __**now**__ it's illegal. _But she simply spared him a glance and said nonchalantly

"Well don't look then" And with that, and a cheeky waggle of her eyebrows at him she made for the nearest gap.

"TOSHIKO!" But she was too slow.

Owen pulled himself up from the med-bay intending to join the chase, but caught his trainer in a grille panel and went sprawling knocking Ianto over in the process. As he landed heavily on top of Ianto their lips met briefly. Horrified, Owen jumped up, dusted himself down and avoiding Ianto's yes muttered "Sorry" before haring after Jack and Rawnie.

"Don't be" came Ianto's rather breathless reply. Tosh gaped. As Owen was making a mental note to block the last 5 minutes of his life with the help of his old friend Vodka and his newly made acquaintance Scotch, a strange sight met his eyes. Rawnie and Jack were locked in some kind of strange silent confrontation. Taking a deep breath he stationed himself beside Jack - facing Rawnie, backed up against a wall. A demonic smile slowly spread across his face "Trapped" he sneered.

"Exactly" added Jack, just as maliciously.

"Trapped" asked Rawnie in a rhetorical fashion "Let me tell you something about traps. There's 1 thing you never put in a trap. If your smart. If you want to live to see tomorrow there's one thing you never ever put in a trap." she paused, a wicked half smile on her face as she said the word Jack had been dreading. "Me"

Beyond words, in a mixture of rage and fear - Jack drew his Wembley.

"Jack - there's no need-" began Owen.

"Oh there's every need"

"Ah." Rawnie obviously hadn't bargained on things getting this far. "You see" her eyes never left the pistol aimed right at one of hearts. "If I were gonna shoot someone…little word of advice" here her eyes flashed to Jack's face with a look of triumph. There was a high pitched _ping_ from behind her.

"Don't stand'em against the lift" Stepping swiftly backwards - she pulled a golden tubular device from a pocket and aimed at the control panel which sent the doors shut in double kick time.

"Forgot about the damn lifts and her bloody sonic" said Jack gruffly.

"Her what?"

"Never mind" he leased off 2 shots in quick succession in order to vent his frustration. _How dare she! She works for me. She's mine. He left her. He didn't want her! _Arriving back at the central area they heard an eager Tosh, exclaim. "You could still catch her. She's crossing the plaza to a car."

"Yes!" CRIED Jack, exultant. "Lemme know if she disappears" he called as hopped onto the Lift.

Nobody saw the blonde and brunette sneak off to the tourist entrance….

"Rawnie!" he called, tearing across the plaza after her scurrying figure. It was obvious where she was headed. A pea green car with the engine running was waiting a few feet away. He caught up with her easily. _Long legs and a few months with the Doctor. She's outta practice. She'll have to be able to out run the Doc' before she's better than me. _He thought as he caught her round the middle. "Hello" he breathed in her ear. She hit out - winding him but he automatically latched onto her wrist. "Can't get rid o me that easy" She whirled to face him.

Jack would never know if it had been the winding or the look on her face that made him catch his breath that day. She had looked at him so pleadingly. She had never looked so beautiful to him before.

"Please Jack…please" she begged. "I can't do this anymore. Not Torchwood. All the death and deceit. It's killing me. Please…and…you know me could never sit still long enough" she laughed shakily. Tears coursed gently down her pale cheeks.

"How can you say that? And then run off with him?" he jerked his head at Sarah Jane's car and Luke's anxious face.

"He really understands. He loves me. That's why he's letting me go."

"I love you more. _You know that. Stay. For me_"

"How can I….when you've done everything to **make** me stay."

In the whispered silence the approaching footsteps were unbearably loud. And two faces were either side of Rawnie's. One had blue eyes. The other artistic eye make-up.

"Let her go Jack" said Sarah. Menace dripping from her every word.

"Do as she says. Let go. Your hurting her."

"Metaphorically or physically?"

"Both"

"Jack. Do not cross us. We can create terrible storms, blazing fires…if we wanted. So! Your choice."

"Let her go…or we'll see what comes to light.."

Jack leant back slightly to get a better hold on Rawnie's gaze. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, _trust you". _She gave a tight apologetic smile, her big eyes still pleading hopefully.

"If you love me the most, _Captain Jack Harkness_. If you truly, truly love me. You'll let me go"

Her bony wrist slid from his grip. She kissed his cheek. "Love you" she whispered.

"Love you more" With another tight smile, she smiled at the girls, who stood watching with smiles that stretched ear to ear at her victory. She reached the car - clambered in and.. she was off. Into the rainy sunset.

Gwen caught up with them. Standing watching the car disappear. "If you really loved her…"

"That's why I had to let her go" He turned away. He needed a stiff drink. But more importantly he needed the right kind of Doctor.

It was late. The Welsh rain pounded the pavements as Jack stood observing it all from his favourite high spot in the city. He loved the feel of the rain on his skin almost as if it were washing away every memory of _her. _He felt a hand interlace with his. A long, bony feminine hand.

"You did the right thing" Alex said staring out over the city. She squeezed his hand sympathetically. It wasn't the hand he needed no matter how much it felt like it. But it was close enough.

"So…what are we going to do with you and old Just Sarah, eh?" he glanced down their intertwined hands. "Oh that can wait" he laughed again and looked down at his city. Holding her hand. He could pretend…just for a bit.

So that's what he did, to make the moment sweeter.

**Well! I must say I am proud of this chapter despite it's length. Now, I am not a fan of slash fiction, And not with Ianto and Owen. It will always be Owen + Tosh in my book. But Sarah I love you so damn much that I wrote that especially for you. The Story is not over yet. Loose ends to tie up and all that. Plus as some of you may have noticed. In Reunited. Jack and Rawnie meet on good terms. So how do they get on good terms? Well better terms than now o course. Just wait. But I'll tell ya 1 thing.**

**It is gunna be…fantastic!**


End file.
